The correct oxygen content during core formation ensured that sufficient phosphorus and nitrogen were present in the Earth's mantle and crust.
This makes Earth a chemical stroke of luck in the universe. It is located in a zone with ideal chemical conditions for the emergence of life.
When searching for life in the universe, researchers should therefore look for solar systems similar to Earth's. Focusing solely on water is too narrow a view.
by Shiny-Tie-126
4 Comments
Here’s the English-language source used in the German article: [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02775-z](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02775-z)
If there’s enough nitrogen and enough carbon there’ll be enough oxygen. Unless I understand stellar fusion incorrectly
The more we learn about the universe, the less convincing the principle of mediocrity becomes. It’s pretty clear at this point that we live on a fairly unique planet, in a fairly unique solar system, in a fairly unique part of the galaxy. We only need a few compounding one-in-a-million factors to give us a rather boring solution to the Fermi paradox.
I’m sure there are plenty of life forms that do not care about what we think are “ideal chemical conditions”